The federal government won’t be unveiling a new budget this month, meaning more than two years will have passed since the last one was tabled.
A spokesperson for Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland confirmed Monday that the government is aiming to release the country’s most important fiscal planning document later in the spring as it continues to assess fallout from new COVID-19 variants, regional lockdowns and the pace of vaccine distribution.
“We are grateful to all Canadians for their energetic contributions in the pre-budget consultations,” said Kat Cuplinskas via email. “While we are not planning for a March budget, we look forward to presenting one to the country this spring. The date will be announced in due course.”
The federal government last tabled a budget on March 19, 2019. Mounting concerns over the COVID-19 pandemic then forced Ottawa to shelve delivering its budget as scheduled in 2020.
In a November economic update, the federal government said its deficit was on track to exceed $381.6 billion for the 2020-2021 fiscal year.
The government’s intention to hold off on its budget until after March was reported earlier Monday by The Globe and Mail.
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